Cipro HC News

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4, 2017 – Urinary tract infections (UTIs) plague millions of Americans each year. Now, researchers say they've developed a test that can tell in minutes whether or not a particular antibiotic can clear up the problem. The issue is an important one, doctors say, since many of the bacteria behind UTIs have grown resistant to certain antibiotics. And, left untreated, these infections can have serious effects, especially in the frail and elderly. "We live in an era of multidrug-resistant bacteria, so-called 'superbugs' that can cause life-threatening infections," said infectious disease specialist Dr. Sunil Sood, who reviewed the new study. "Modern molecular techniques to distinguish bacteria that are resistant from those that are susceptible to common antibiotics could be lifesaving," said Sood. He is chair of pediatrics at Northwell Health's Southside Hospital in Bay ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25, 2017 – Overuse of antibiotics triggered a severe diarrhea outbreak in British hospitals that began in 2006, a new study reports. Researchers analyzed hospital data related to the outbreak of Clostridium difficile, a "superbug" gut infection. The investigators concluded that reducing the use of fluoroquinolones – antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and levofloxacin (Levaquin) – curbed the outbreak. "These findings are of international importance because other regions, such as North America, where fluoroquinolone prescribing remains unrestricted, still suffer from epidemic numbers of C. difficile infections," said study co-author Derrick Crook. He is a professor of microbiology at the University of Oxford in England. Overuse of fluoroquinolones enabled antibiotic-resistant C. difficile to thrive because non-resistant bugs in the gut were killed off by the ... Read more

TUESDAY, July 26, 2016 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it's strengthening label warnings on a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones because the drugs can lead to disabling side effects, including long-term nerve damage and ruptured tendons. The agency also cautioned that these bacteria-fighting drugs – including levofloxacin (Levaquin) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro) – shouldn't be prescribed for sinusitis, chronic bronchitis or simple urinary tract infections unless no other treatments options exist. "Fluoroquinolones have risks and benefits that should be considered very carefully," Dr. Edward Cox said in an FDA news release. He's director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "It's important that both health care providers and patients are aware of both the risks and benefits of ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2016 – Delirium in hospitalized patients might be linked to common antibiotics more often than once believed, according to new research. Delirium – mental confusion that may be paired with hallucinations and agitation – is often caused by medications. But, antibiotics are not typically the first type of drug suspected, said study lead author Dr. Shamik Bhattacharyya, a neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Reviewing case reports going back seven decades on patients given antibiotics who later developed delirium and related issues, the scientists found that nearly half suffered delusions or hallucinations. Seven out of 10 were found to have abnormal electrical activity in the brain. "A key point in the study is that different antibiotics caused different types of confusion," Bhattacharyya said. "The fact that antibiotics can cause confusion has ... Read more

TUESDAY, June 9, 2015 – Antibiotic resistance in foodborne germs remains a public health threat despite attempts to combat the problem, according to new U.S. government data. Antibiotic-resistant infections from foodborne germs still cause about 440,000 illnesses in the United States each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported online Tuesday. "Antibiotic resistance can arise spontaneously, but the greatest contribution to antibiotic resistance is the overuse and overprescribing of antibiotics," said one expert, Dr. Len Horovitz, an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He was not involved in the new report. Testing in 2013 revealed that multidrug resistance – non-responsiveness to three or more classes of antibiotics – in salmonella infections remained steady, accounting for 10 percent of foodborne illnesses, the CDC said. But antibiotic ... Read more

THURSDAY, April 30, 2015 – The antibiotic most commonly prescribed for bladder and other urinary tract infections, nitrofurantoin, may not be the most effective option, new research suggests. More than 25 percent of older adults have reduced kidney function, and bladder infections are a common complaint. Doctors often turn to nitrofurantoin to treat these and other urinary tract infections (UTIs), but concerns have been raised about the ability of the drug to reach the urinary tract and target bacteria that causes bladder infections, especially in those with poor kidney function. The new Canadian research was led by Dr. Amit Garg, a nephrologist at Western University in London, Ontario. His team compared the benefits of nitrofurantoin to the effectiveness of other commonly used antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin ("Cipro") and norfloxicin. The study, published recently in the Canadian ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2014 – An eardrop that combines antibiotics and steroids might be the best ear infection treatment for children who already have ear tubes because of recurrent infections, a new study finds. New research compared the eardrop treatment to oral antibiotics and to a wait-and-see approach. After two weeks, just 5 percent of children receiving the eardrops had continuing discharge from their ears. But 44 percent of those given oral antibiotics still had signs of infection, as did 55 percent of those managed with observation, according to the study. "Children treated with eardrops had a shorter duration of the initial episode, and a lower total number of days of ear discharge, and a lower number of recurrences during six months of follow-up than children treated with oral antibiotics or initial observation," said the study's lead author, Dr. Thijs van Dongen, a physician ... Read more